Richard Kauffman

Chairman, Energy & Finance for New York

Richard Kauffman joined the administration of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo as New York State’s first energy czar” in February of 2013. Mr. Kauffman oversees and manages New York State’s entire energy portfolio, including the New York State Department of Public Service, the New York Power Authority, the Long Island Power Authority, and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). He was appointed chair of NYSERDA’s board in June 2013. Mr. Kauffman also leads New York State’s comprehensive Reforming the Energy Vision strategy.

In 2014, Mr. Kauffman was named by Fortune Magazine as one of the World’s Top 25 Eco-Innovators.

Prior to joining the administration, Mr. Kauffman worked in energy and finance at some of the nation’s highest levels, most recently serving as Senior Advisor to Secretary Steven Chu at the United States Department of Energy. In his private sector career, he was chief executive officer of Good Energies, Inc., a leading investor in clean energy technologies, a partner of Goldman Sachs where he chaired the Global Financing Group, and vice chairman of Morgan Stanley’s Institutional Securities Business and co-head of its Banking Department.

Mr. Kauffman has served as chairman of the board of Levi Strauss & Co., as well as on the boards of several organizations, including the Brookings Institution and the Wildlife Conservation Society. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Mr. Kauffman earned a bachelor’s degree from Stanford University, a master’s degree in international relations from Yale University, and a master’s in public and private management from the Yale School of Management.

Alicia Barton

President and CEO, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority

Alicia Barton was appointed president and CEO of NYSERDA on June 26, 2017. Ms. Barton has held public and private sector leadership roles advancing clean energy projects and companies for over a decade. Immediately prior to her appointment, Ms. Barton served as co-chair of the Energy and Cleantech Practice at Foley Hoag, LLP, a global law firm based in Boston, where her practice focused on representation of clean energy companies in emerging market areas such as offshore wind and energy storage.

Ms. Barton’s other private sector work included serving as chief of operations of the Global Utility business unit at SunEdison where she led teams working on utility-scale wind and solar projects. Prior to her work in the private sector, Barton served as chief executive officer of the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC), a publicly supported agency that funds and accelerates the development of the clean energy sector. As CEO, Ms. Barton led all of MassCEC’s investments, project finance, partnerships, and commercial operations across a range of clean energy technologies, and helped make the state a national leader in energy efficiency, renewable energy, and deployment of clean technologies.

Ms. Barton currently serves on boards of several organizations, including Greentown Labs, the Environmental League of Massachusetts, Efficiency Forward, and the Advisory Board for the New England Women in Energy and Environment. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Natural Resources from The Ohio State University and a juris doctor degree from Boston College Law School.

John Rhodes

Chair, New York State Public Service Commission

John B. Rhodes was confirmed to the Public Service Commission (PSC) on June 21, 2017. Prior to his appointment to the PSC, Mr. Rhodes had served as President and CEO of NYSERDA.

While leading NYSERDA, Mr. Rhodes was instrumental in developing innovative clean energy policies and initiatives to support the Governor’s nation-leading strategies to combat climate change including the Clean Energy Standard for 50 percent of electricity to come from renewable energy sources by 2030 and REV. He also oversaw the $5 billion Clean Energy Fund, which focuses on stimulating investment in clean technologies like solar, wind, and energy efficiency as it supports the creation of thousands of jobs in manufacturing, engineering, and other cleanech sectors.

Previously, Mr. Rhodes served as the director for the Center for Market Innovation at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), an international environmental advocacy organization. The Center works to channel private capital toward environmentally beneficial investments with a focus on energy efficiency, renewable energy, green infrastructure, and sustainable food and agriculture.

Before joining NRDC, Mr. Rhodes spent three years as acting chief operating officer at Good Energies, a leading investment firm focused on renewable energy and energy efficiency and oversaw operations, strategy, and portfolio companies. Mr. Rhodes was a partner at Booz Allen Hamilton, where he provided strategic consulting for clients across technology-intensive industries including energy, aerospace, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals. He has also served as a trader and general manager at Metallgesellschaft, a German mining, metals, and engineering firm.

Mr. Rhodes currently serves on boards of the New York Institute for Special Education, American Federation for Aging Research and Cornerstone Literacy and the American Federation for Aging Research. He holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Princeton University and a master’s degree in management from the Yale School of Management.

Gil Quiniones

Before first joining NYPA in 2007 as executive vice president of Energy Marketing and Corporate Affairs, Mr. Quiniones served for more than four years as senior vice president of energy and telecommunications for the New York City Economic Development Corporation. Mr. Quiniones also worked for Con Edison for 16 years and was one of four co-founders of Con Edison Solutions – the utility’s unregulated energy services company.

Mr. Quiniones is the chair of the Electric Power Research Institute and vice chair of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. He also serves on the steering committee of the board of the Large Public Power Council and as NYPA's principal representative to the American Public Power Association.

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